Perceptual Continuity and Naturalness of Expressive Strength in Singing Voices Based on Speech Morphing

This paper experimentally shows the importance of perceptual continuity of the expressive strength in vocal timbre for natural change in vocal expression. In order to synthesize various and continuous expressive strengths with vocal timbre, we investigated gradually changing expressions by applying the STRAIGHT speech morphing algorithm to singing voices. Here, a singing voice without expression is used as the base of morphing, and singing voices with three different expressions are used as the target. Through statistical analyses of perceptual evaluations, we confirmed that the proposed morphing algorithm provides perceptual continuity of vocal timbre. Our results showed the following: (i) gradual strengths in absolute evaluations, and (ii) a perceptually linear strength provided by the calculation of corrected intervals of the morph ratio by the inverse (reciprocal) function of an equation that approximates the perceptual strength. Finally, we concluded that applying continuity was highly effective for achieving perceptual naturalness, judging from the results showing that (iii) our gradual transformation method can perform well for perceived naturalness

インドネシア人帰還移民にみる社会経済的再統合―日・馬・台の就労地別の比較

2020南山大学インドネシア人帰還移民にみる社会経済的再統合―日・馬・台の就労地別の比較2017～2020年度科学研究費助成事業 (基盤研究 (C) (一般)) 研究成果報告

Differential resistance to antiviral drugs in an immunocompromised patient with cytomegalovirus encephalitis

金沢大学附属病院小児

A new target region for changing the substrate specificity of amine transaminases

(R)-stereospecific amine transaminases (R-ATAs) are important biocatalysts for the production of (R)-amine compounds in a strict stereospecific manner. An improved R-ATA, ATA-117-Rd11, was successfully engineered for the manufacture of sitagliptin, a widely used therapeutic agent for type-2 diabetes. The effects of the individual mutations, however, have not yet been demonstrated due to the lack of experimentally determined structural information. Here we describe three crystal structures of the first isolated R-ATA, its G136F mutant and engineered ATA-117-Rd11, which indicated that the mutation introduced into the 136th residue altered the conformation of a loop next to the active site, resulting in a substrate-binding site with drastically modified volume, shape, and surface properties, to accommodate the large pro-sitagliptin ketone. Our findings provide a detailed explanation of the previously reported molecular engineering of ATA-117-Rd11 and propose that the loop near the active site is a new target for the rational design to change the substrate specificity of ATAs.UTokyo Research掲載「さまざまな薬の合成に重要な酵素が作用する相手を認識する仕組み」 URI: http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/utokyo-research/research-news/how-an-important-enzyme-used-in-drug-production-recognizes-its-substrate.htmlUTokyo Research "How an important enzyme used in drug production recognizes its substrate" URI: http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/utokyo-research/research-news/how-an-important-enzyme-used-in-drug-production-recognizes-its-substrate.htm

The purpose and the motivation for future practice of physical activity and related factors in Japanese university students

Purpose: We investigated the purpose and the motivation for the future practice of physical activity and related factors in Japanese university students. Materials and Methods: The participants were 499 university students (407 men and 92 women). Participants were surveyed using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Questionnaire items were anthropometrics, current exercise habits, preference for exercise, existence of exercise partners, benefits of exercise, self-efficacy for exercise, and the purpose to be motivated to exercising in the future. Results: The exercise group had higher scores for preference for exercise, exercise partners, self-efficacy for exercise, and benefits of exercise than the non-exercise group. The exercise group also reported being more likely to be motivated to exercise in the future than the non-exercise group. In the exercise group, those who felt benefits of exercise were more likely to be motivated to exercise for enhancement of health, enjoyment, making friends, prevention of illness, and enhancement of competitiveness. In the non-exercise group, those who had a preference for exercise were more likely to be motivated to exercise in the future for enjoyment, prevention of illness, and enhancement of competitiveness. In both the exercise and non-exercise groups, women were markedly more likely to be motivated to exercise in the future for aesthetics. Conclusions: These results indicate that there is a difference in the purpose and the motivation for future practice of physical activity between the exercise group and the non-exercise group as well as between genders

Association between Alterations of the Choriocapillaris Microcirculation and Visual Function and Cone Photoreceptors in Patients with Diabetes （糖尿病患者における脈絡膜毛細血管微小循環の変化と視機能及び錐体細胞との関連）

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the choriocapillaris microcirculation and the visual function and cone photoreceptor structure in patients with diabetes. Methods Thirteen control subjects and 26 patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited. The patients with diabetes were divided into three groups based on the grade of diabetic retinopathy (DR). The retinal sensitivity (RS) was evaluated using microperimetry. Cone photoreceptor mosaics were imaged using an adaptive optics retinal camera, and the cone heterogeneity packing index (HPi) was calculated. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images of the choriocapillaris were obtained using spectral-domain OCTA, and the area of flow deficit (FD) was evaluated. All parameters were evaluated in the foveal and parafoveal areas. Results The study included four patients with diabetes without retinopathy, 12 patients with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), and 10 patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). The foveal and parafoveal FDs were correlated significantly (fovea, r = −0.58; P = 0.046 and r = −0.82; P = 0.003; parafovea, r = −0.59; P = 0.044 and r = −0.72; and P = 0.019, respectively) with the RS in patients with NPDR and PDR, but not in control and no diabetic retinopathy (NDR) groups. There were no differences in the foveal HPi among the groups. Conclusions Impaired choriocapillaris microcirculation is associated with impaired visual function but not cone photoreceptor integrity in eyes with DR.博士（医学）旭川医科大

Tangible Sound: Musical Instrument Using Fluid Water

In this paper, we introduce " Tangible Sound," a musical instrument with a novel user interface that uses fluid water. Like music, fluids cannot be physically grasped because their shape is constantly changing. We thus believe that water is a suitable interface for performing flowing music. We created a live, hands-on installation that uses the flow of water as an input medium to control the intuitively appealing feeling of musical flow. With our instrument, performers interact with water flowing from a faucet into a drain. We have developed a method for measuring the volume of the water flow and for generating music from this measurement. This installation leads to the novel concept of " Source and Drains" for programmable musical instruments. Finally, we consider the potential of this special interface for musical instruments and interactive arts

Body, Clothes, Water and Toys --Media Towards Natural Music Expressions with Digital Sounds

ABSTRACT In this paper, we introduce our research challenges for creating new musical instruments using everyday-life media with intimate interfaces, such as the self-body, clothes, water and stuffed toys. Various sensor technologies including image processing and general touch sensitive devices are employed to exploit these interaction media. The focus of our effort is to provide user-friendly and enjoyable experiences for new music and sound performances. Multimodality of musical instruments is explored in each attempt. The degree of controllability in the performance and the richness of expressions are also discussed for each installation